Location: Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Research
Project Number: 2090-21000-037-036-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 30, 2025
End Date: Sep 29, 2027
Objective:
In collaboration with the University of California, Davis, Cornell University, and USDA colleagues in Madison, WI, this resaearch project will focus on:
1. Genotyping progenitor accessions to current pre-breeding pools and additional germplasm accessions to be incorporated into additional pre-breeding populations.
2. Evaluating germplasm pools.
3. The release of new germplasm pools.
4. Extending information regarding germplasm pools and their performance.
Approach:
Improved alfalfa germplasm that has been part of national public breeding programs (e.g., U. California, Davis, Cornell U., and USDA, ARS) as well as additional sources of novel alfalfa germplasm from the USDA ARS National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) will be evaluated in multi-site, multi-year trials. This improved germplasm, that is at different levels of selection improvement, will be trialled at these collaboration sties and by interested commercial company partners. Promising advanced materials will be publicly released jointly and will continue to broaden the genetic base of commercial grown alfalfa in the United States. The Prosser, Washington site is the only location in the Pacific Northwest for evaluations, and is the only site with expertise and appropriate environmental conditions for seed increase/regeneration of advanced breeding lines prior to larger scale evaluations or release.